Ballard FC’s Youth Night is this Saturday, 5pm, at Interbay Stadium as they host Midlakes United with a chance to earn a playoff spot for the fourth year in a row.
This Saturday night, Ballard FC is celebrating the kids and specifically youth soccer in our community. So many of the club’s past and current players came through local youth clubs in Seattle, and the club will continue to promote and prioritize local youth talent.
Saturday’s match will be a battle between two of only five teams in the division that are still in contention for the playoffs, with West Seattle Junction, Tacoma Stars, FC Olympia, and the Portland Bangers all mathematically eliminated.
Now let’s preview the match itself.
Midlakes United
Midlakes United currently sit in sixth place with 13 points from 11 matches, and need to win every match remaining on their schedule to have a chance at playoffs. Their most recent result, a 2-1 loss to West Seattle Junction, put a serious dent into their playoff hopes as they handed the Junction their first win in 381 days.
Ballard FC on the other hand are soaring towards a fourth consecutive playoff berth, needing just a point on Saturday to clinch their spot. However, Coach Riley’s side will be sure to aim for all three points as a win would clinch their third straight Northwest Division Title.
The first meeting between the sides was very one-sided as Ballard FC won 5-0 on the road in Bellevue with five different goalscorers and will be looking to repeat that on Saturday. Before losing to the Junction, Midlakes were on a four match unbeaten streak and will look to return to that this weekend.
Get tickets to Saturday’s match!
MATCH DETAILS
Gates: Gates open at 3:30pm! We suggest arriving early to enjoy the food and beer offerings, watch the players warm up, beat the hassle of traffic and parking, and to enjoy all of the prematch festivities. Also, the first 150 fans will get the above match poster FREE.
Food Vendors: Beyond the thrilling soccer action, Wednesday’s match will feature an array of food vendors, including Big Boys Filipino, Kathmandu, and Mainstay Provisions. Also, before you head to Pagliacci Pitch, you can take advantage of the Pagliacci Pizza BOGO slice deal on game days. Just show your ticket at any Pagliacci location (except UW) and get two slices for the price of one. Outside food is not allowed in the venue except for Pagliacci Pizza.
Ballard Food Bank: We also encourage fans to support the community by bringing donations of oatmeal and cereal for the Ballard food bank.
Beer Garden The Bridges United Foundation Beer Garden is back at Interbay Stadium this season. Unlike at Memorial last season, fans will be able to watch the match from the beer garden. The beer garden proudly serves Reuben’s Brews and this year will feature a second service station and the Orgullo Ajeno Tequila Zone.
Transportation: Parking is extremely limited. We highly recommend alternative forms of transportation, including biking as we will have the Wombi Bike Parking area available at every home match this year. Please also consider riding King County Metro on game day, where youth through age 18 always ride free! Check out transit mode in Google Maps, the TripPlanner.kingcounty.gov website, or an app like OneBusAway.
Live Stream: Can’t make it to the match? All Ballard FC matches will be streamed on SportsEngine Play. The stream for the match this Wednesday can be found HERE.
Written by Max Dresbach
